Mental Construals and the Use of Counteractive Self-Control Strategies

Kentaro Fujita, Ohio State University

Previous research has indicated that abstract (high-level) vs. concrete (low-level) construals of events promote self-control (Fujita et al., 2006). This talk reviews this work and presents three new studies that explore the impact of construals on the use of counteractive self-control strategies – strategies people use prospectively to enhance the likelihood of resisting future temptations. Results indicate that high-level construals promote the adoption counteractive self-control strategies such as de-valuation of temptations, pre-commitment of one’s future choices, and self-imposition of penalties for self-control failures. These findings suggest that mental construals influence the strategies people utilize in the self-control efforts.